Episode 20 (2016 Anime)
"The Corruption of Qliphoth" is the twentieth episode of the Berserk 2016 anime and the eighth episode of season two. It covers manga episodes 215 through 221. Overview In their search for Casca and Farnese, the young witch unable to telepathically reach them, Guts, Schierke, Isidro, Puck and Ivalera wander through the forest outside Enoch Village. They eventually entered the darkest region of the woods before seeing a strange creature, Schierke realizing that they have entered an Interstice linking the physical with a layer of the Astral World known as Qliphoth. As the group continues, explaining that the Astral world is divided into many layers and that Qliphoth's creatures are born from mankind's darkest impulses, Schierke assumed the Interstrice may be tied to Griffth's incarnation. The group eventually arrive to a cave that the trolls have made their home, Schierke finally reaching Farnese who is horrified by seeing womens' corpses being eaten. Inside the cave, after getting Casca to safety, Farnese finds themselves in the trolls' breeding chamber where many of the women and children that the trolls took from Enoch Village were kept. Farnese was told by Schierke to remain hidden as the trolls are no yet aware of her and Casca. But Farnese screams at the sight of Hannah's death when several infant trolls rip their way out of her stomach, attracting the Trolls' attention and fending them off as Schierke leads Guts and Isidro through the cave at a faster pace. The group arrive just as Farnese was disarmed and about to be impaled by a pitchfork using troll. As Guts slaughters the attacking trolls, the others get the women and children out of the cave to safety. On the way out, Schierke senses a strange presence coming from the tunnels ahead killing the trolls around her group while heading towards Guts' location. As Schierke senses his emotions while forming barriers to protect herself and the others from the pursing trolls, Guts senses his Brand of Sacrifice reacting to something beginning to form from the spilled guts of dead trolls in the bloodied water. The mass of flesh soon transforms into Slan of the God Hand, who overpowers Guts while encouraging him to act on his rage. Slan soon restrains Guts, ripping his armor off with ease while scarring his chest. She caresses his wounded body while attempting to have him use the Beherit and become an Apostle, before the Skull Knight, the being Schierke sensed, arrived. After a brief discussion between the two, revealing that she has the advantage in her "Womb of Darkness, Slan conjures Ogres to attack the Skull Knight. But Slan's distraction gives Guts told to counterattack, the swordsman told by the Skull Knight to use his Dragon Slayer sword on her. After being impaled by Guts' sword, Slan's avatar body explodes while expressing sheer pleasure from the pain. Outside the cave, as Isidro protects her, Schierke astral projects herself before the Rotting Root Lord to aid them in wiping out the remaining trolls. While the spirit agrees, Scheierke tries to maintain control to give Guts time to escape before the sprit's power of decay purges the cave of all life. But Guts telepathically tells Scheierke that his escape may not be easy. Inside the cave, as a consequence of Slan's magic, the trolls and ogres she summoned are multiplying at a dangerous rate that could cause a cave in. This forces the Skull Knight to swallow his sword to reveal his trump card, a blade made from the melted remains of Beherits that he swallowed: the Beherit Sword. The Skull Knight uses the sword's dimensional properties to cut a hole into the Abyss to suck in everything within the chamber while he cutting another hole to get himself and Guts to the entrance just as Schierke was about to lose control of the Rotting Root Lord. After the Skull Knight takes his leave, Guts and his group take the women and children of Enoch Village back to their home, with Serpico the villagers greeting them. As he watches the cheery scene before him, Guts has an epiphany: that he now has companions once more. Characters in Order of Appearance * Skull Knight * Griffith * Serpico * Judeau * Pippin * Gaston }} Manga/Anime Differences Notes Category:Episodes (2016 Anime)